Tinubu denies being Petroleum Minister but Nigerians ask him to give up the portfolio
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Some Nigerians have asked Bola Tinubu to step down as de facto Petroleum Minister, a job he commandeered from inception along with being President, despite his latest attempt to gaslight citizens about his second post claiming he has never called himself the Minister of Petroleum, an industry famous for mindboggling corruption.
Tinubu’s spokesman Bayo Onanuga made the claim on his behalf on Channels Television.
Even with him washing his hands off the sleaze and crisis in the oil sector, it is publicly (rightly) believed that Tinubu is the Petroleum Minister, following in the footsteps of his successor and fellow gaslighter Muhammadu Buhari who refused to appoint someone for the office and instead appropriated it throughout his eight years in the Villa (2015-2023).
Olusegun Obasanjo appointed himself Petroleum Minister for six of the eight years he was President (1999-2005), Umar Yar’Adua gave the job to Rilwan Lukman during his presidency (2008-2010), and Goodluck Jonathan picked Diezani Alison-Madueke for it during his own time as President.
Tinubu has two Ministers of State for Petroleum – one for Oil (Heineken Lokpobiri) and one for Gas (Ekperikpe Ekpo). But he has not appointed anyone as Petroleum Minister.
So it is logical to believe that Tinubu is following the example set by Buhari that he is automatically Petroleum Minister, even though he left room for denial since he did not formally announce it
Onanuga reiterated on Channels Television on Sunday that the Petroleum Ministry has two Ministers supervised by Tinubu.
“The President has never called himself the Minister of Petroleum; it’s you people in the media. We have two Ministers and as far as this President is concerned, we have two ministers of petroleum, and one of them focuses on gas,” he said.
“That’s an area that this government discovered in the past that Nigeria neglected and Nigeria is more of a gas country than an oil country; President Tinubu is focusing on gas.
“Recently, Obasanjo said he made a mistake during his time by not focusing on gas and Tinubu is rectifying that by making sure we focus on gas. The president supervises all his ministers; he’s in charge of everything.”
No one can investigate oil sector when President is in charge, Nigerians argue
Regardless of Tinubu’s gaslighting, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria National Coordinator Emmanuel Onwubiko insisted that he should step down from the portfolio of Oil Minister because it is not appropriate for him to be in that post.
“Ideally, President Tinubu is not supposed to have another appointment outside his presidential office. It is not correct for a President of a country to still occupy the position of Minister,” Onwubiko told Daily Post.
“It doesn’t make any logical sense. Aside from the issue of allowing for investigation in the sector, in a place where things are done right, the President is not supposed to have a ministerial position attached to his office. It is completely inappropriate.”
“Minor changes that happened in the cabinet are not enough to make any serious impact in the nation’s economy.
“The President did not reduce the number of Ministers. This won’t have any significant role in reducing the cost of governance. About 75 per cent of the entire ministerial cabinet ought to be moved out.
“Removing just five when you know that half of the cabinet need to go will not make any difference”.
Tinubu shielding corruption in oil sector, says PDP chieftain
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party in Benue State, Aondoakaa Theophilus, also argued that Tinubu’s position as Petroleum Minister is “shielding evils in the oil sector”.
He alleged that “the reason why no action has been taken against the NNPCL [Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited] is because Tinubu is in charge.
“It will be difficult to investigate a President when he is still in power, so what is happening in the sector is that his position is shielding the corruption going on in the NNPCL.
“As it is right now, investigating the Petroleum Ministry is like investigating activities in Aso Rock.
“The President is in charge. His position in the sector has also crippled the lawmakers. Nobody would want to investigate a ministry that the President is heading.
“Tinubu should resign [as Oil Minister] as a matter of urgency. He should find a competent Nigerian to head the sector so that he can be focused on governance. I don’t want to believe that there is something he is benefiting from.”
However, public affairs analyst Jerry Adakwu countered that “the [Petroleum] Ministry is too sensitive for Tinubu to give to someone else.
“President Tinubu isn’t the first President to be in that position. Former President Mohammed Buhari also appointed himself as Petroleum Minister.
“I’m not sure that his position is affecting the sector negatively. However, if there is anyone that has been caught in the web of corruption, the President should not hesitate to fire the individual.”
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